Friday, November 19, 2010

I’m pretty excited about the new food places that had opened their doors in Pasadena lately, from Cham to Intelligentsia and now: The Luggage Room, the pizzeria attached to La Grande Orange, housed in the old luggage room of the Pasadena train station (hence the name).

I received an email invitation for dinner during the first week they opened. When I went the place was already teeming with customers.

The menu features a short but varied list of appetizers and pizzas, just enough to please everyone.
We started the bacon wrapped dates ($9) which dangerously came in half-dozens.

With only two of us, that’s three each of these rich bites. Sure, you say you can stop at one or two, but in practice here at Luggage Room you wouldn’t be able to. You probably wouldn’t be able to stop snacking on the almonds either.

Now, on to the pizzas, which are all made in a wood-burning oven

The first pizza we tried was the Free Bird with spicy chicken sausage, clams, and rapini ($13)

At Luggage Room, they use a sourdough crust, which gave the crust just a bit more thickness and chewiness compared to a thin crust pizza. The sourdough flavor itself may not be a favorite for everyone.

My favorite from this first try surprisingly turned out to be the Haas Avocado Festival topped with avocados, tomatoes, basil, and lemon zest ($13).

The slices of fresh avocado provided a creaminess without being heavy or greasy, and I'll take the light kick from fresh basil on my pizza any day.

The dessert list is pretty much the same as at La Grande Orange and we had the olive oil cake.

The moist cake was, for lack of a better word, decadent. I would’ve preferred a citrusy or tart sauce and accompaniments instead of the berries to help cut the richness, thought the dessert was satisfying as it was.

And just like at LGO, a tray of cookies await customers who are leaving. Before The Luggage Room opens, I would be at a loss if you were to ask me where to get good or decent pizza in Pasadena (Avanti, maybe?). Now the answer seems much clearer.